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At Louder Than Life 2025, 10 Years’ Brian Vodinh reflects on two decades of heavy emotion and honest songwriting
By: Bradley Cunningham
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LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (WOUB) – At Louder Than Life 2025, WOUB’s Bradley Cunningham spoke with Brian Vodinh of the Knoxville-based band 10 Years.
Blending elements of alternative metal, post-grunge, and progressive rock, 10 Years has built a reputation for balancing heavy intensity with melodic introspection since forming in the late ‘90s. A founding member, Vodinh has long been a core part of the band’s creative backbone — serving as drummer, guitarist, songwriter, and producer across their catalog.
Find a transcript of their conversation, edited for length and clarity, below.
Bradley Cunningham: What do you want to talk about? Anything you want to vent?
Vodinh: You know what, not necessarily vent, but just take it all in. There are so many bands and so many people here. Getting to this little media area, we walked through this big garage where all the buses are parked—it felt very “European festival.” A lot of American festivals don’t have that vibe. But this one does—it just keeps getting bigger, which says a lot about the hunger people have for live music. They really want to come out and rock. For us, having been in the game this long, seeing these crowds is crazy.
Where do you think this resurgence of rock is coming from?
Vodinh: It’s the live release. People want to see a band perform—to see somebody jump off a stage, to feel that energy. Streaming is cool, but nothing matches the energy of a crowd. Just walking over here from our stage and seeing all those people made me happy.
Yeah, totally. When everything’s in your pocket on your phone, there’s something about that real, tactile experience. Once you feel it, you don’t want anything else. How was the set?
Vodinh: Fun—and chaotic. Earlier it was pouring rain, so the load-in got delayed. Once the weather cleared, we had about 45 minutes to set up and go. No sound check, nothing. We get on stage, and [lead vocalist] Jesse Hasek’s mic isn’t even plugged in. Luckily, our tech caught it and fixed it. Afterward, our sound guy joked, “Should I go ahead and book my Greyhound home?” It was one of those days—chaos, parking issues, lightning, thunderstorms. Welcome to the madness.
You recently covered Florence & The Machine’s No Light, No Light. That’s a totally different sound. How did that come about?
Vodinh: We talk about doing covers all the time, but we rarely do them. The only one we’ve done before is Heart-Shaped Box by Nirvana, and we completely changed it. But Florence’s Ceremonials album—No Light, No Light in particular—has always been one of my favorite records. I honestly didn’t think the guys would agree to it. I told them, “Let me take a stab at this, and if you hate it, we’ll drop it.”
I produce and record all our music at my studio in Knoxville, so I just went for it. When I showed Jesse the demo, he said, “Whoa, this is pretty cool.” He wasn’t even familiar with the original, but once I played Florence’s version and explained where I wanted to take it, he was in. We were going to play it today, but with the weather delays, it didn’t happen.
How did you approach the production?
Vodinh: Florence already uses really unique instrumentation—keys, synths, harp, all that. With Heart-Shaped Box, I could add tons of weird textures. But with No Light, No Light, the song already had that atmosphere. My first version was overloaded with layers, so I stripped it back. It felt more powerful that way—more direct instead of trying to match the atmosphere she had.
I love the artwork for that single — and for The Darkness EP. Both feature these faces with glowing or missing eyes. Are they connected at all?
Vodinh: Not directly, but you’re right — there’s a thread. I actually designed both covers, and Jesse, our singer, is also a great artist. When I sent him the ideas, he said, “Man, you’re really into faces right now.” (laughs) I don’t even know why. It just feels like something in the music lately is pulling that imagery out of me.
You think that connection came subconsciously from the title No Light, No Light?
Vodinh: Maybe it’s subconscious — there are four eyes, four lights — it all ties back to No Light, No Light. There’s this symmetry that just felt right. And, honestly, everything’s a thumbnail now. You scroll past so fast, and I wanted something that grabs attention.
Yeah, I agree. It stuck out to me immediately. And it’s rare I get to talk with the actual artist about the artwork — I started noticing the parallels and thought, “Okay, there’s something going on here.”
Vodinh: Yeah, the Inner Darkness EP cover — I probably went through a hundred versions of that one. We were sketching, swapping ideas, changing tiny details, until finally we were like, “Okay, we’re going psycho, let’s stop.” But we loved the vibe. It just felt like the record.
That EP was meant to be the first in a pair, and we’ve been working on a second one that connects to it. I’ve been experimenting with ways to visually link them — similar atmosphere, same tone — but not just repeat myself. It’s tricky to marry the two without making a carbon copy.
So are you focusing on the character? Like, are you establishing a universe through these visuals?
Vodinh: Well, that’s a good question and that’s the same question we have. We’re trying to decide if that’s how we want to do it or not. It’s funny that you mentioned that because we have had that conversation. We’re just not totally sure yet.
One thing I love about 10 Years is the emotional core in your music. After being a band for over 20 years, how do you keep that storytelling alive?
Vodinh: Life is the gift that keeps on giving. The challenge is figuring out what we haven’t said yet. Sometimes I’ll write a lyric I love, and Jesse will go, “You know we said that back in 2010, right?” A lot of what we write comes from shared human emotion—it’s not about reinventing the wheel, it’s just expressing it honestly. The music guides the lyrics. If we realize we’re repeating ourselves, we shift gears. But yeah, it’s still about peeling back new layers on the same emotions.
Let’s end on this: which lyric from your catalog has aged the best for you?
Vodinh: That’s a good one. I’d say two. One’s from Patiently, a B-side from The Autumn Effect: “When passion turns professional, it kills the mood.” That hit hard once we got signed—realizing it’s called the “music business” for a reason. Suddenly your mortgage depends on writing something good, and that’s a weird mindset.
The other is from Seasons to Cycles: “So much can be said through silence.” That’ll always ring true.
I feel like now more than ever. Everybody has an opinion. With their thumbs, you know?
Vodinh: Well, that’s a whole thing too. Everyone’s an expert; everyone’s opinion is fact. It’s hard to have a real conversation. But we just stay chill—we’re Tennessee dudes with families. I just want to sit in my yard, relax, and stay out of the noise.